Blog Archives - FordeFables

September 30th, 2015

30/9/2015

September 30th, 2015:
Thought for today:
"Any loving parent wants to protect their children for as long as they allow them to. Seeing them approach their years of adolescence, especially when they are girls, is a particular worry with all the temptation and peer group expectation that exists. It takes a very strong individual not to feel pressurised into action she does not feel comfortable with or ready for.

In a world where everyone wants things instantly and waiting is greatly frowned upon, it becomes extremely difficult for a good girl to grow through her teenage years and still feel good about herself at the end of them if she simply goes along with the rest of the crowd. It takes time to grow and requires the proper conditions to healthily thrive and mature. Nothing which is produced by force will ever taste as good or endure the test of time. For the female adolescent, it takes courage not to succumb to peer pressure. In order to retain your self respect, you have to remain your own person and allow yourself to grow up in your own time and only do the things you want to do, and when you want to do them!

Any male who truly respects you, will never force you to show yourself to the world before you are ready to do so. He will know that if you are the right one for him, that the best is yet to come and will be prepared to wait for twenty-four carat instead of settling for nine!" William Forde: September 30th, 2015.

September 29th, 2015.

29/9/2015

Thought for today:
"My son William who lives in Australia informs me that so many men there would consider it shameful to be seen crying. I know that during the immediate pre-war years when I was raised, back in the 1950s, it was a common saying of the times that 'big boys don't cry.'

Let me tell you that there is a sacredness in tears that mark them not a sign of weakness, but one of power.They speak more eloquently than any word ever could. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition and of unspeakable love.

Tears are essentially the safety valve of the heart that are visible when too much pressure is laid on it. Though they are the silent language of grief, I strongly believe that our past tears become our present strengths. My reading of history shows that in Victorian times where restraint and the stiff upper lip was recommended, the hidden cost was much secret hurt. The Victorians saw tears as being symbolic of a breakdown in etiquette; the inability of the soul to restrain its emotion and retain its self command and polite composure.

My work over the years has led me to understand the land of silent tears to be a secret place for those who never learned to cry outwardly. When I was young and wanting to be seen as more grown up than my years, I wept not, so stone within me grew and hardened. Even when I was run over by a large wagon at the tender age of eleven and had my body wrapped around the shaft beneath, even then I didn't cry as I waited fully conscious for almost thirty five minutes to be freed and taken into hospital with multiple life-threatening injuries.

People who knew me judged that brave, but I know it to have been otherwise. When I was told months later that I had a damaged spine and would never walk again, then I cried! I know for my part that I became a much better, healthier and happier person once I learned to cry and to express both happiness and grief at the moment of their birth. Too often I have witnessed the prolonged pain that not being able to cry can bring in its wake.

Working with numerous bereaved persons, whom after years of counselling and reflection eventually got back in touch with their feelings and found themselves able to cry once more, taught me that tears are the natural product of pleasure and on other occasions they can be the terrible penalty of unspeakable pain.

In my life to date, I have often been stricken low by the sight of tears and emotionally stirred to such extent that I would have given any possession to instantly ease the pain of another. My greatest hurt however is, and will always remain, the tears that is found in the eyes of a mother who has just learned the news that her child she gave birth to is dead. Only once have I witnessed such pain and it is an experience of sadness beyond description. Some people say that there is no greater pain than for a mother to bear a child; I say that there is no greater pain than for a mother to bury one!" William Forde: September 29th, 2015.

September 28th, 2015.

28/9/2015

Thought for today:
"Whenever I can get out into the countryside, one of my greatest pleasures is to walk down a country lane during early morning and catch Nature in all her glory.

Early morning is always the best time of the day to see all manner of creatures going about their daily business. To see a squirrel run across the road, a hare scoot down a hole, a bird fly worms to its nest of chicks and a fox take shelter in the distance is a beauty to behold. All these wondrous sights makes all else to be seen on one's journey out and about nothing to write home to mother about." September 28th, 2015.

September 27th, 2015.

27/9/2015

Thought for today:
"It is a sad reflection when summer has passed and one has to wait another year for its glorious return. Far sadder still to have lived through summer without tasting its delights and not seeing it in all its natural splendour. What a waste of a summer! What a waste of a life!

Yet living one's span of life is not too different. If we go about our life being unaware of the presence of others in it and of their significance to our state of wellbeing, then all we do is to take their nectar and keep it to ourselves. We become trapped in our own world of selfishness and never learn the true benefit of sharing the common seed. We become hermits of humanity.

Unlike the busy bee who collects pollen in the flower of the stamen, and who along with the birds and other creatures help spread the seed far and wide for the benefit of all, selfishness and isolation starts to store up bitterness, resentment and permanent regret in the human hermit.

Such hermits live through their youth, adulthood, middle years and old age, having greatly missed out life's meat of their sandwich in between. By failing to connect to their family, neighbours, friends and world around them, they have failed to marry the seasons of their existence. Their summers are too hot, their autumns too windy and their winters too cold. As for spring, it came and went before they noticed its passing!

So it is with their existence; one day they wake up in the autumn of their days; they suddenly realise that life has passed them by and that summer will never come again.

The very best way; indeed the only way, for any individual not to regret the passing of a summer, is to truly enjoy it by being an active part of it! So, while the birds and the bees do their bit to spread the goodness around, then do no less with your fellow man and connect with the seasons of your life." William Forde: 27th, 2015.

September 26th, 2015.

26/9/2015

Thought for today:
"The most dangerous creature in waiting is a child watching in silence as she sees something evil that will lead her to distrust all mankind when she grows up and poison her well of innocence." William Forde:September 26th, 2015.

September 25th, 2015.

26/9/2015

Thought for today:
"Of all things guaranteed to make the body more restful, I can think of none better than sitting in the centre of a woodland area or by a calm stream watching peaceful waters flow. Peace is the perfect marriage between a person and the planet. As Albert Camus said, 'Peace is the only battle worth waging.'

Within each man, woman and child can be found a centre of stillness surrounded by silence, This is what I have come to know as the serenity of the soul. Its importance lies not in it being able to show you the way; it is the way!

It is not surprising that being close to raging seas fascinates mankind and that being beside still waters calms him. Far better, when stressed with the everyday worries of life to find some peaceful stream to sit by and allow your cares to drift away with the current of its passage. It is no coincidence that water covers 71% of the earth's surface and that without it we could not live. Look therefore upon water as representing the mother and matrix of nature, and still rivers as the medium of solitude and perfect peace.

Over the past three months I have been in considerable pain and without having the ability to mediate that pain, my life would have been very hard to negotiate. I have lived with a degree of pain in my legs every day since the age of eleven years and have mainly used relaxation and meditation as opposed to analgesics to manage that pain. As a person who has practised relaxation training for sixty years and taught it for fifty, I know the importance of distraction and imagery in the process of finding relief. We each have different scenes which help us to relax and to focus our mind away from pain. Mine has always been either the verdant and vibrant woodland or the passage of a peaceful stream. Both scenes bring the body back into union with the beauty of nature and represents the peaceful passage of life. It becomes physiolgically more difficult to feel real paIn when you are experiencing a vivid image of beauty which induces peace and tranquility of mind, knowing that the longer you can hold that peaceful image, the longer you will block the passage of pain to your body.

When I have my local operation in hospital on one of my painful hands today, my mind will be not on my hand, but on my peaceful stream which flows through my woodland. Have a nice day." William Forde: September 25th, 2015.

September 24th, 2015

24/9/2015

Thought for today:
"True happiness and contentment with life is open to all manner of creature, great and small, who is prepared to climb the heights of greatest expectation and assured uncertainty.

If one aspires to the highest of places, it is no disgrace if you do not reach the top. Set your sights high and live in expectation of wonderful things to happen, for in our aspirations rest all possibilities. Far better to set a goal and to fall short than set no goal at all! Far better to have loved and lost than never have loved at all! Far better to walk and never reach journey's end than to resign oneself to the rocking chair of old age and regretful recall."

So enjoy life to the full and learn to laugh at life in its excesses. Even a poor church mouse becomes enriched once they learn to laugh at life in the face of adversity and triumph!" William Forde: September 24th, 2015.

Sepember 23rd, 2015.

23/9/2015

Thought for today:
"We hear a great deal about 'sex appeal' today, as if it is something one can acquire. Young girls are grown into womanhood in a man-made garden, falsely believing that the more she can look fetching, the greater the likelihood that men will find her more attractive and desirable. Overconcern is given to outward appearance in which weight, hair style, dress and overall look plays too important a part.

By seeking to shape themselves in ways that please man's eyes, too many women foolishly engage in a Faustian pact in which they are prepared to sell their soul to the Devil in exchange, not for knowledge, but superficial beauty. By acting thus they may improve their prospects in the dating field and marriage stakes, but they remain destined never to discover lasting relationships or their own individuality. Instead of discarding their bras in protest, they choose instead to abandon their brains and allow their future self to be defined and validated by the prevailing whim of man's changing desire.
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong by a woman wanting to please her man and vice versa, providing the act is done out of love and not cohersion. As a man, I freely acknowledge that nobody loves to see a beautiful woman more than myself and I willingly admit that a large part of the initial attraction is born of physical desire. Where I know I differ these days to those earlier years however, is that I could never see myself adoring the body of a woman or being married to one today, without first having lived in comfortable cohabitation with her mind and ever closer union with her soul. In many ways, I recognise that my present love for woman has made me a more selfish man than before. I cannot deny that today I want all and am so happy that in my wife Sheila that I have found everything I could ever want.

Sex appeal is something that means many different things to many men. What turns one man on can turn off another. To me, just as beauty is inwardly housed by the owner and naturally comes out in all their other character traits, sex appeal also resides in the inner sanctum of unknowing womanhood.

Women who have sex appeal in my eyes, have it unknowingly. The type of woman who seduces me is a woman who doesn't know she is seductive. She is imbued with an innocence of thought and feeling which is blended with a purity of intent. The very essence of her nature which makes her seductive is the belief that our life together begins at the end of her comfort zone and the start of my restraint." William Forde: September 23rd, 2015.

September 22nd, 2015.

22/9/2015

Thought for today:
"The beautiful thing about the innocence of childhood is that many things that don't really mean much of anything to adults, are to a child, simply wonderful." William Forde: September 22nd, 2015.

September 21st, 2015.

21/9/2015

Thought for today:
"It is the peculiar nature of the world to continue turning whatever tragedy befalls an individual. While you grieve the loss of someone you loved, all manner of joy will become an emotional stranger and your focus will be only upon the deep hurt you feel. If you are a person who believes in God, you will come to know that there is no sorrow that heaven cannot heal. Whether or not you believe in a supreme being to intervene, rest assured that time itself will prove one of the greatest healers. The process of any bereavement is unfortunately a necessary stage to negotiate before full health and happiness can return. Grieving cannot be avoided or shortened; its full course must be run. It helps more than is possibly imaginable, if you are able to talk about your sorrow and allow others share your pain. The sad truth is that sorrow knows no tomorrow and until it is healthily dispelled from the grieving body (put to one side but not forgotten), every day will be a day of painful memory.

Many years ago, the National Lottery paid for me to write and produce a musical play based upon my most popularly acclaimed children's characters, 'Douglas the Dragon.' In this play, half of the village population is killed and their homes and crops destroyed by an angry volcano which erupts. For months after the tragedy, the surviving villages walk round immobilised by grief and loss. It is the wisest villager, Granny McNally who is asked to address them. I include her speech which was written by me to help children understand the process of bereavement better. The full musical play can be freely downloaded from my website
http://www.fordefables.co.uk/…/…/douglas-the-dragon-play.pdf

GRANNY McNALLY: (Slow, solemn and assertive delivery) “Our hearts are heavy with grief for our dead; our feelings of loss veil our pain. Even our mental images of their tragic deaths mangle our minds and press our thoughts of confusion into feelings of uncertainty for the future.”
“Our skies seem filled with the harbinger of doom and gloom, but believe me when I tell you that (determined voice) the sun will shine through again!”

“I’ve walked this earth for 90 years. I’ve seen all of you born and have witnessed more deaths than I care to remember. At the risk of sounding arrogant, I’ve forgotten more than most of you have yet learned.”

“And yet, despite the extent of my age and worldly wisdom, I know so little about what lies beneath this green sod that makes the ground shake so violently when ‘The Angry Hill’ explodes in rage.”

“But this I know with every breath of my being and tell you most truly (more determined voice). I know that sadness suffered in silence grows ever more bitter and sours the soul of humanity. I know that grief denied is grief extended and that bereavement borne alone is a cross far too heavy to bear.”

“I urge you, one and all, do not hide away your grief from family and friends. Share your fears and sadness with them, for a burden shared is a weight lessened! Let it out. Let them see it. Let others help you to carry your loss!”

“Do not conceal your pain behind false pride, good people. There is no shame in crying, no comfort to be found in silent rage, and no point in trying to cope alone when others will help you willingly; and be glad to have done so.”

“This is a time for you to share with friends and family; a time for all to rally round and to offer what we give best. This is not a time to isolate oneself from the lives of others, but a time to take part in all around you: the wisest time of all to express your feelings to those you love and trust!”

“Do all of this, my dear friends, and I promise you that the light will shine through your darkest day. Follow the substance of your future. Do not dwell upon the shadow of your past. Put your past behind you and I tell you, that a brighter ‘morrow shall follow.”

“However sad you feel today, I promise, that in time, your feelings shall change for the better. Remember, the birds shall still sing, the sun shall still shine, the grass will still grow, the flowers shall still bloom and the wind will still blow.”

“Consider this, good people. Even mighty oaks have to bend to the force of nature. And then, even when they are battered and blown by the Earth’s storms; even then, experience encourages the trunk to grow ever stronger and its roots to spread ever wider. Are we no less?”

“So give heed to the ramblings of an old woman. Do as I advise, and peace and reconciliation shall enter your lives once more. This I promise you. This I know!”

I include one the original songs of the play which encourages children to 'Let out their anger. and 'Let in their love.' I am proud to say that some places of safety for abused women and some 'anger management' groups for male abusers made this song part of their meetings." William Forde: September 21st, 2015.
05_let_it_all_out.mp3Download File

September 20th, 2015.

20/9/2015

Thought for today:
"Mankind's wholesomeness comes not from self alone. Our nature is determined by life's nurture. We are what we touch and see. We are part of the land upon which we stand, the rise of its mountains on the horizons and the reach of its valleys. We are all that flows to us from a thousand streams of experiential source. We inter-breathe with the rain forests and we drink from the oceans of oblivion. Our dreams are born in our seasons of slumber and are realised in the passage of the wind. They are carried to us on the backs of our ancestors and find final resting place in family trees.

We did not come into this world; we came out of it, like a shooting star from the heavens and a wave from the ocean. We are not a stranger here. Our deepest roots are firmly set in nature, our firmest learning is rooted in nurture. No matter who we are, where we live, or what kind of life we lead, we are and shall remain irrevocably linked with the rest of nature until creation is no more. All it takes according to William Shakespeare is 'one touch of nature to make the whole world kin.'

We have seen much progress during the centuries dominated by the factory and the industrial wheel, encompassing the great works and inventions of Hargreaves and The Spinning Jenny, George Stephenson and the Rocket, along with the bridges built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and yet, though great as such inventions were, they are nothing compared to our greatest of all accomplishments. Though we have fashioned the machine to make everything from spoon to space craft, nothing can match our developing a natural joy in earthly living and becoming close companion to nature's soul. This is undoubtedly our greatest of earthly contributions.

If I had but one lesson to teach our young about the magic in this world it would be this. If you seek peace and understanding of life, know that it can be found wherever you are and whatever your circumstances. Look deep into nature and you will understand everything worthy of nurture. Look long into the love of self and you will find the love of others holding hands. Observe the innocent child and grow old wiser in their ways. Children are the living proof that wisdom truly begins in wonder. Children possess that magical capacity to move among the many strands and stratum of the earth; to see and experience the land as an animal does. They know how to experience the sky from the perspective of a flower or a bee; to feel the earth breathe beneath them and to know a hundred different smells of mud and the sound of a cricket laughing whenever it leapfrogs a grasshopper on the wing. Such learning comes not from books, but from an observation of the natural world and a longing to be a meaningful part of it.

If I had but one poem that I could compel all adults to learn and love, it would be the beautiful verses of the Canadian lecturer, author and poet, Edna Jaques:

'Go out, go out I beg of you
And taste the beauty of the wild.
Behold the miracle of the earth
With all the wonder of a child.'

Edna Jaques knew that the making of mankind at its best would involve invoking the secret of nature; to grow in the open air and sleep in the earth." William Forde: September 20th, 2015.

September 19th, 2015.

19/9/2015

Thought for today:
"The wind of change blows less fiercely for those who do not resist the future, but for those who cannot let go of a hurtful past, it can carry twisted emotions, anger and revenge that will wreck your life in a hurricane of bile and hatred.

Do not hold on to past ways and behaviours that ill-served you, or when your next round of love beckons your response, the bitter taste of failed trust and lost romance will sour your new experience." William Forde: September 19th, 2015.

September 18th, 2015

18/9/2015

Thought for today:
"During my career as a Probation Officer, it astounded me to see so many women stay in an abused relationship with a man, even when they knew in their heart of hearts that remaining with him risked life and limb. The most common reasons I heard for the woman staying and not moving out included, 'I love him' or 'He's the father of my children' or 'He promised he will never hit me again.' On the other side of the coin, the most common response of the abuser as to why he behaved such was, 'She got me so angry' or 'She asked for it!' or 'She made me do it!'

While all marriages are supposed to be sacred, sadly not all are safe. Just because a woman isn't being physically punched, slapped or kicked doesn't mean that they are not in an abusive relationship. Verbal and psychological abuse goes unrecognised because they leave no visible scars. Abusers come from all walks of life and can be found in any home. They are widespread across the social class structure and can be business tycoons, lawyers, doctors, vicars and aristocrats as well as miners, factory workers, shelf fillers and the unemployed.

Hence, all abusers do not look like ogres to their neighbours. I have known ministers who would have been better described as 'monsters' and accountants who found it simpler to hit out before count to ten. Abusers often come across as nice, even charming, people when they interact with the general public, but behind closed doors, they use cutting words to exert control over those closest to them. I have found the emotions of anger and guilt most used within abusive situations to control and manipulate, and the visibly verbal threat to be the forerunner to the physical abuse that followed.

If the abused person stays in the abused situation, though the day may come when she decides to leave, unfortunately her children will never be able to leave behind the violence they witnessed growing up when they become adults. Many studies show that children of battered relationships demonstrate significant behavioural and emotional problems themselves and many go on to become batterers and battered in their future relationships. While I have known the woman to be the abuser and the man the abused, the ratio of such frequency is far less common to experience.

The one thing that all battered wives and partners should know is that, like bullying, if left unchecked, it will not stop and will increase in both frequency and intensity!

The anatomy of an abusive relationship is often formed by a skewed notion of 'love' in which the abused person is led to believe that she is receiving love as well as punishment from the abuser (He does this because he really cares about me!)

There is a recognised cycle of violence that takes place in all abusive relationships which has three main stages: The honeymoon stage, the tension building stage and the battering stage.

The honeymoon stage is where the first signs of things to come emerge. The woman senses tension being built and one day she is hit. This is immediately followed by words of profuse apology, ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I will never do this again. I hate that this happened. I’ll make it up to you,' but then the cycle starts over again. It is common for the second physical assault to come within six months after the first. During this period, an imbalance of power emerges between the man and the woman, which is systematically reinforced and strengthened at every opportunity and produces a state of 'traumatic bonding.'

At this stage, the woman being abused never knows whether she will be hugged or hit by the man and this uncertainty creates a psychological tendency to stay involved in the relationship instead of getting out. By the time that the abuser has exerted total control over every aspect of her daily life, the woman is often too fearful to try and leave. She knows that her partner will perceive such running away as a sign of rejection and betrayal, and punish her as a consequence.

Getting out of an abusive relationship involves much more than packing one's case and finding a safe place to go. Before the abused person dare go, they first have to find the courage to make the move and this is far from easy. Whether or not a 'Safe House' is secured or other means employed, 'courage' is the requirement necessary to promote the act of leaving and 'self-respect' is needed to sustain it.

'But where do I find the courage?' I was most frequently asked. My reply was always the same. 'Courage is rooted in the soil of 'self respect' and cannot grow from any other seed. Until you learn to respect yourself, you will not start caring about yourself and what others do to you. Until the time comes that you start caring what others do to you and how they treat you, you will never find the courage within you to say, 'Stop' or 'That's it, I've had enough' and 'I want out!'

Sometimes my advice was taken, resulting in a much improved situation where the woman left and started to move on with her life, but so often it wasn't. There were some occasions where the woman got up the courage to leave, but then went back for reasons known only to her. I even had one man who saw his mother repeatedly physically and sexually abused as a child and in adult life he became a wife beater and eventually murdered his wife by burning her.

Despite the horrific imagery of abuse women posted here, the effects of such brutality should never be hidden from public gaze. The whole of my working experience reinforces the true importance of having 'self respect', without which, life will beat up on you in so many unattractive, unhealthy and unhappy ways!" William Forde: September 18th, 2015..

September 17th, 2015.

17/9/2015

Thought for today:
"Let your earliest of learning as a child be that of kindness and you will naturally grow up a kind adult." William Forde: September 17th, 2015.

September 16th, 2015.

15/9/2015

Thought for today:
"Today, I go into hospital again for my regular three-weekly blood transfusion. At the start and end of each day, I always say a simple prayer. I thank God for today and his presence in it. Deep down I have this strong gut feeling that because I believe in 'today,' I know that 'today will be a good day.' I have held such faith since I was 11/12 years old when I had my first brush with the hand of destiny, and I know that the strength of my current belief will not abandon me during my remaining days.

I recall, when as a young man of twenty one out in Canada, I felt I held the whole world in my hands. I was brimming with confidence and overflowing with arrogance. I was full of faith in my capacity to succeed in whatever I tried to do. It was a wonderful time to live through and a most powerful feeling to possess. It was a bold, proud and arrogant feeling for one so young to have the prospects of an exciting life before him. It felt so good and I felt so privileged. That sense of privilege has never left me.

Once in every lifetime, each person feels the hand of destiny upon their shoulder and creates something of worth that comes alive. Be they writer, artiste, painter, potter, sculpter, stone mason, or parent to a newborn child, they know that they have been instrumental in both giving and sustaining meaningful life to some person or thing that will outlive them.

As my dear mother used to tell me as a child, 'Billy, we have two hands and they weren't meant for sitting on when there's things to do that need doing. You were given one hand to receive and the second to give.'

I know that not everyone is a believer in God and I hope that I am never viewed by any atheist or agnostic reader who follows my 'Thought for today' as being a bible-basher. I have always tried to be true to self however, and I don't mind admitting publicly that God is an important part of my life and always will be. Therefore, for me to express any of my thoughts or deeds without ever referring to his influence in my life, would be to disown him and deny myself.

I am aware that there are some who have never believed in God or any sort of spiritual being, nor ever will. I also know that there are people out there who have believed in God for some of their lives and then reached a stage when they stopped believing for one reason or another. I know that different cultures believe in different Gods and that some cultures, past and present, believe in many Gods. I also have many friends who believe in fortune telling, the planetary influence of stars in the heavens, the power of crystals, the healing of waters, the presence of spirits, the passage of ghosts and the flight of angels, along with numerous other forms of divinity, planet life and after life.

With so many beliefs in the world today about so many aspects of life and death to consider, it is only natural for any rational person to sometimes think, 'How can such a sensible person like him/her lose their marbles and place their faith in.........?'

I would simply answer such a question by saying that it matters not in polemic terms, whether or not a spiritual being such as 'God' truly exists, because even if he didn't, mankind would still have a need to invent him! Neither does it matter in polemic terms whether or not he or her, this or that has the power to do the things you believe, so long as their presence in your life serves useful purpose to it and your belief is harmless to others for you to hold.

And therein lies the crux of the matter. The nub of all our beliefs and acts of faith determine one's life and the way one chooses to live it. The simple truth is that an individual needs to believe in matter outside themselves in order to matter at all and to become a less selfish and more wholesome person. An individual needs to believe in self before they can believe in others and visa versa. We all need something or someone to believe in. This is the nature of us all, the essence which makes it either natural or unnatural for one to believe in the supernatural!

We all need a purpose to our lives in order to feel life's presence in ours. We all require guidance from time to time to help us get to where we're going. For me, without some form of spiritual direction, I would eventually feel lost and bereft of soul. Just as one person may believe in the presence of guardian angels, another will seek protection from one of many other diverse sources that offers them a sense of worth and a feeling of well being. Even the athiest and agnostic will usually believe in the value of finding a 'soul mate' in their life. If such a proposition holds truth, then in accordance with their own belief, such a person is indirectly acknowledging the presence of 'soul' in just as meaningful a way to them as other people acknowledge the presence of a 'God.'

Whenever I remind the reader of life being tenuous, especially on those occasions I enter hospital monthly, it is not because I fear I do not have long to live. It is because I am content to place my life in the hands of God as I believe that Jesus placed his in ours.

In my youth, I always having liked a flutter, and being one of life's gamblers, I know that having a stake in there being a God is simply the best each-way bet that any gambler could ever make. If a true believer is correct in their belief, when they die they will live forever. And even if such a person lives their life believing an untruth, they are still more likely to live longer and better as a consequence of their irrational belief!

When I speak as I do in today's post, it is not the use of clever and false argument I seek to make with the intention to deceive and unduly persuade; it is my soul that speaks and not sophistry! Have a good day all, I'm off for a few pints." William Forde: September 16th, 2015.

September 15th, 2015.

15/9/2015

Thought for today:
"Be introduced to work when you're young and enjoy prosperity, self-reliance and respect before you're old. This is the key to lifelong industriousness and self respect. The realisation that there are no free lunches in this world is often a concept which many find hard to swallow." William Forde: September 15th, 2015.

September 14th, 2014.

14/9/2015

Thought for today:
"The change in temperature this week has brought my thoughts to the winter ahead and particularly one cold one over 44 years ago. I do hope that we hear of fewer deaths this year because of being unable to keep warm. We all need to keep warm, however big or small our place, even Queen Elizabeth! I have always liked that subtle distinction of nothing more than 'a' between the Queen's residence and that of her humble subjects, between palace and place, the homes that house the ruler and the ruled.

I will never forget my very first case as a young Probation Officer in 1971. It was a bitterly cold winter and the temperature was below zero. The police helicopter flying over the run-down estate in Sheepridge, Huddersfield would not have been able to distinguish it from the well off area of nearby Birkby because of the depth of snow, had it not been for the smokeless chimneys. Back in 1971, few Sheepridge residents had money to buy coal for the fire or food for the fridge and they lived in one of West Yorkshire's estates of highest crime, unemployment and poverty.

In one of the Sheepridge houses lived my client, his wife and three children under five years old; the youngest being three months old. Being unemployed, heavily in debt and with his infant running a fever, the father, whose electricity had been cut off for non-payment one month earlier, illegally reconnected his supply. When he was caught, arrested and produced before the Magistrate's Court, I was asked to prepare a Social Inquiry Report on him. An SER is a document which outlines the defendant's full circumstances, his attitudes, strengths, failings, the reason behind the offence and his propensity to offend likewise in the future should he find himself in similar circumstances. The magistrates considered the offence grave and committed the defendant to Crown Court for sentence.

When my client's Crown Court case came up, sod's law decreed that he appeared before His Honour, the late Judge James Pickles. At that time, Judge Pickles was considered by every criminal, barrister, press reporter, and probation officer in the country as the 'hanging judge,' as he was the judge who handed down the severest of penalties. Indeed, he once sent a woman to prison for being too fearful to give evidence against her violent partner.

I duly presented my report to court at the time of sentence and Judge Pickles read it. I was as honest as I could be in my report which did not go down well with the learned judge. I indicated to the judge that given the circumstances that the defendant found himself in at the precise moment of offending, he did no more or less than I or any loving father would have done to protect his ill infant.The upshot was, my client did not get the prison sentence he and his barrister had feared, but I received a sentence of one day's imprisonment in the police cells beneath the court for the attitude I had displayed in my Social Inquiry Report.

It was somewhat ironic that the learned judge, who was the most rebellious judge in the country and had openly defied Lord Halsham, the Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom at the time, should imprison me for a day in the police cells for my rebellious attitude to the court. It was even more ironic that during the years ahead, Judge James Pickles and I would become the best of friends. There would be seven occasions during the years ahead when the judge would read from my books in West Yorkshire schools, and when I received my MBE, it was his daughter Carolyn Pickles (television actress of 'The Bill') who was the very first person to contact and congratulate me.

I'm even certain that had Judge James Pickles famous uncle, the radio presenter Wilfred Pickles, still been alive and living next door to my first probation client during that bitter cold winter with a poorly infant in his arms, his advice upon being asked, 'Shall I illegally connect the electricity supply?' would have been, 'Have a go, Joe!' " William Forde: September 14th, 2014.

September 13th, 2015

13/9/2015

September 13th, 2015.

13/9/2015

Thought for today:
"We often forget that just because a person grows old doesn't mean that they invariably lose their marbles or indeed any of the other emotions that we all harbour. Never forget that there are days when even grandma has had enough! 'Me and Pa brought up you kids. Now, don't you think it's darn time you brung up yours?'" William Forde: September 13th, 2015.

September 12th, 2015.

12/9/2015

Thought for today:
"There burns a fire inside each of us beyond all proportion and harmony that cannot be quenched and whose beauty of flames lies in strange play. It is propelled by fiery pulses of exertion, moving us between the many darknesses that frequently visit our hearts and minds; the greatest plague of which is mankind's inhumanity to his neighbour.

If only man could dismantle his destiny, we might see beyond the illusion that we are only physical. We would see that we are much more than mere skeleton, skin and bones. We would see what wonderful beings we can become when we give way to the earthly spirit and embrace heavenly desire.

There is a fire in the spirit of the world. It is a healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we will ever encounter. We sometimes lose sight of this force when there is suffering we cannot understand and too much pain we feel unable to endure. Then suddenly, when we are about to despair of man's feeble contribution to his neighbour, this burning spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people who hear a call and answer in extraordinary ways. It is they who will one day grow wings and become the guardians to all that is good and wholesome.

Many of Chinese origin believe such guardian angels to have been born in the Chinese Year of the Horse, whereas I believe them to be born every day in any place where goodness lays its head and generosity fills the heart."William Forde:September 12th, 2015.

September 11th, 2015.

11/9/2015

Thought for today:
"Yesterday is today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream. The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today. Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet? So give thanks one and all, for we are truly blessed to be present." William Forde: September 11th, 2015.

September 10th, 2015

10/9/2015

September 10th, 2015.

10/9/2015

Thought for today:
"There is no greater discovery to be made than the wonderment of Nature. Almost seventy years later, I can still remember walking through a field of yellow corn where the plant height exceeded mine. That was the moment I accepted that even were I to grow as tall as trees, Nature would forever stand head and shoulders above me, just as my step son Matthew (who's birthday it is today) does. Happy birthday son, the gentle giant of the family.

How annoying it must be for the Creator to see someone walk through a field of yellow corn, red poppy or purple heather, to stroll through woodlands carpeted in clumps of bluebells and forests of fern and not notice the surrounding splendour? How remiss of one's eyes not to see the wonderful beauty in Nature and to know the endless prospect of its seasonal soul.

When I think upon the magic of the changing seasons and the ability of all manner of creatures across the world to adapt to extreme climates and conditions, I am left in sheer awe. I see bears and other creatures hibernate during severe winters and camels endure the scorching heat of the deserts. When I witness the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly and see amphibians change the colour of their skin in order to hide from predators, I watch nature's sorcery at play. It becomes so easy to accept as Aristotle pointed out, that nothing is done in Nature uselessly, and that in all things of Naure, 'there is something of the marvellous.'

Should ever mankind doubt the existence and presence of a supreme being, all one need do is to step into Nature to know the divine intervention that exists to enable ecologocal and evolutionary balance of all creature life and environmental form. When we stop to look at Nature and feel its presence in our lives, we are endowed with the capacity to be soothed and healed by its contribution to our medicine chest and sense of well being. Nature possesses the power and beauty to put a body at peace and to place one's senses in perfect order. Each time we lose ourselves in Naure, we find peace within ourselves. Each time we listen more closely to Nature's message, we understand our own lives better. Every time we watch a snowflake fall, hear the first cuckoo of spring, observe catterpillas become butterflies or see the heads of hardy cycamen pop through the harshness of winter ground, we know that there lies within the land upon which we walk, a poetry of the soul that never dies.

So embrace all aspects of Nature that surrounds you at every opportunity and grow more familiar with its ways. Once you learn to love all creatures, you will grow to love the land that nurtures them and you and never be fearful of life again.

I end with one of my all-time favourite quotations by Galileo Galilie, ' I've loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.' " William Forde: September 10th, 2015.
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September 9th, 2015.

9/9/2015

Thought for today:
"When you're in love, really in love, there is no way on earth to hide it. All the world can tell, simply by looking at the way a couple looks at each other and touches. Even the holding of hands is done with the gentlest and most tender of touch, which coveys that preciousness of the moment, not dissimmilar from that of a protective parent holding their newly born infant's hand.

Being in love, is in many ways a time in life when one gives oneself permission to be totally selfish towards others outside the love nest. At its height, the feelings are so intense, that should the world go to war, you would be able to suspend caring about the consequences and lock yourselves in a darkened room for a month with a 'Do not disturb under any circumstances' sign on the door knob!

Falling in love is also great for one's spirit, philoshophy and physical fitness. Philosophically, one is able to feel good about most situations.The weather seems fairer, the stars shine brighter, the laughter lasts longer, and for the first time in your life you manage to hold a fart for forty minutes and learn to expel flatulence silently in the presence of your sweetheart! Being in love is known to raise the spirit in a way that nothing else can and enables the loving couple to touch the stars without reaching them; making anything possible to achieve together. There is simply nothing better for the spirit or the body than a love affair. It elevates the thoughts and flattens the stomach. I cannot recall a time when I fell in love and didn't lose a stone in weight in less than a month!

As a hopeless romantic who has fallen in love far more times than was good for me, let me tell you that 'falling in love' is an involuntary act without any rhyme or reason. Rationale has no place amid the intensity of emotion which is present. When we fall in love, there is no choice in the matter; it just happens. We don't find love, it finds us.That is why it is referred to as 'falling in love.' We do not force the fall; we just go with our emotions and fall! We simply let our heart decide the outcome.

For some, being in love can be the best two weeks of one's life. As a serial lover, I would have to say that if you can manage to stay in love for more than two years, then stay with it as you are certainly on to something special. If marriage follows romance, be wary of trying to change your partner and always try to hold the same expectations. If women try to change their man, they will discover they cannot, and though men hope that their partners will never change, they always do! So play by the same rules, because love is the only game in town where two can play and each one win.

After seeing Howard Keel and Jane Powell sing this love ballad to each other in the 1954 film of 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers', I rushed home with a spring in my stride and decided to instantly fall in love with the next girl I kissed. Sadly, two weeks later, I had a serious accident. I found myself in hospital for almost a year and was unable to walk for three years. I remember faling in love with the beautiful Sister Sykes at the Batley Hospital and the first time she bent over me in bed to tuck in my sheets, I made my move and gave her a kiss. I think I made her day!" William Forde:September 9th, 2015.
https://youtu.be/EgpF5RLF1SU

September 8th, 2015

9/9/2015

Thought for today:
"We take out insurance for our health, our home, our car, our holidays, our employment and even our funerals. We buy food to eat, clothes to wear, accomodation to house, holidays to relax, amusements to entertain, books to read and coal to burn.

We do these things to live a more comfortable life, yet though we purchase well, we often leave out obtaining the best-buy insurance policy.

Only those who insure against loneliless will avoid being found wanting in the best investment of all; friends in abundance! Only those who give out love are guaranteed to receive it in return! Only those among us who find both love and friendship in the same lifelong partner collect the greatest of dividends. Insure against this trinity and you will be blessed forever.

Like I tell my wife Sheila, 'I know you are my best friend, the greatest love in my life and my soul mate, because you sing along with me in the car when I sing!" William Forde: September 8th, 2015.